The following are 10 shows that captured the attention of audiences globally — as well as broke through into the zeitgeist in 2024:
“Shōgun” (Season 1, FX)
Opening credits through finale credits, every second of “Shōgun” is extraordinary. FX’s “Shōgun” was carefully constructed to awe and inspire. It took a familiar tale from the 1975 James Clavell book (previously been brought to life in the 1980 mini-series) and found a way to share a deeply personal and affecting tale for its characters that indelibly imprinted them in our hearts. “Shōgun” is a series that captured attention immediately and carried itself off on a wave of critical and popular acclaim, so much so that it swept the 2024 Emmy Awards — rightfully so, as it earned each and every its 18 Emmy awards.
“Shōgun” co-creators and show runners Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks (previously known for creating the sci-fi series “Counterpart”), as well as their team of writers and directors and the 300+ personnel worked diligently to bring this magnificent reimagining of the “Shōgun” ” story to life for FX. The entire series was a lush and richly drawn canvas intended to stun and regale. “Shōgun” was a sight to behold, whether it was the stormy seas, brittle and brutal coastlines, the dense and treacherous treed forests, the murky tension-filled hallways, or light mists seeping through stone gardens or upon grassy vistas.
By far, the most impressive aspect of the series are the richly-layered female characters. “Shōgun” has always been a tale which prominently featured male characters. However, FX’s “Shogun” distinguished and elevated itself by remembering how essential women are and should be remembered for their pivotal roles in power-plays while living their own history-making stories.
Anna Sawai easily claimed her Emmy award with her riveting portrayal of Lady Mariko. Every second Anna Sawai was on screen, she claimed rapt attention and, even in silence, she was commanding. When Mariko spoke, everyone listened. Her role may have been necessary to give Paul Blackthorne’s character a way of communicating to the Japanese lords whose fate and power he was dependent upon. But what everyone remembers about Lady Mariko was her power. Every fiber of her being exuded confidence. Mariko knew her role was essential and necessary and that she commanded power because of it. The words she spoke and translated could elevate or cast down any man. The fact that she chose to use her power to aid John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) not only saved his life, it provided tools and weapons for Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) to use to exert and claim power to broker peace among all the warring factions, and the Catholic Portuguese and the Protestant English. The “butterfly effect” of Mariko’s words could create hurricanes across the world, if she chose.
The women of “Shōgun” knew how to command their own level of power in their unique worlds. Fumi Nikaido (who portrayed Lady Ochiba, mother of the heir) also captivated on screen. (She also starred in the Korean-Japanese drama “Eye Love You”, a rom-com series contrasting her dramatic role in “Shōgun”.) Lady Ochiba’s power stemmed from her familial linage and her son’s position as the Japanese war lords vied for leverage to assert absolute power and obeyance. Her conflicted relationship with her childhood friend Lady Mariko provided a tense-backdrop during their familial power-plays and tests of trust.
Also vital was Usami Fuji, portrayed by Moeka Hoshi. Lady Fuji was assigned the task of setting up and maintaining the house for Paul Blackthorne, which she did flawlessly with grace and dignity. Fuji’s friendship with Blackthorne contrasted Mariko’s in that Fuji was more a friend-ally and Mariko was his translator-lover. Yet neither relationship threatened the other. In fact, they complemented each other and worked together to protect Blackthorne and keep others around them safe as alliances rose, fell apart and shifted quickly in the battle for power.
Another key figure was Gin, the madam of the Ajiro tea house, portrayed by Yuko Miyamoto. Tenaciously preserving the “tea room” power to keep it from being considered a courtesan house, Gin was a woman who judiciously and deftly wielded her power to protect those in her care and preserve the powerful clientele that she catered to. She also had the vision to see how vital a “tea room” would be in the world ahead. Under her training and care, Kiku (Yuka Kouri) rose up to be a powerful courtesan that could bestow her talents as she freely chose.
Allowing women to have freedom to choose and self-determined agency is a key and vital representation. Women were not mere objects to be used and traded. Women at all levels of society in “Shōgun” were portrayed as having agency and power of their own. Their worlds may have been personal and small, but that power was absolute within it. Knowing one has power and using it constructively accentuated the key roles and unique of each female character in “Shōgun”.
Adding to this tapestry of talent were Yuka Kouri, Haruka Igarashi, Yoriko Dōguchi, Mako Fujimoto and Ako. While the male characters portrayed by Hiroyuki Sanada (Lord Toranaga), Cosmo Jarvis (Paul Blackthorne), Tadanobu Asano (Kashigi Yabushige), Takehiro Hira (Ishido Kazunari), Tommy Bastow (Father Alvito) and Néstor Carbonell (Vasco Rodrigues) stood out on their own, “Shōgun” carefully wove in women wielding power in their realms. “Shōgun” cleverly spotlit how women were instrumental in men’s wars to achieve quieter and more effective power plays. Lord Toranaga’s secret weapon throughout the series was Mariko and her tenacity to do everything in her power to serve his cause and preserve peace in order to unite Japan. War is man’s weapon of choice to achieve their goals; whereas women use sacrifice to win. And ultimately, Mariko’s sacrifice because the tool and strategy best employed to win and circumvent a war. The “art of war” is to win before a war is actually necessary.
“Shōgun” easily staked its spot as the Number 1 series of 2024, not only by Emmy standards, but by my own more narrowly-defined criteria of what makes a show truly great. I remain awed by its ambition and by what it portrayed and delivered. Truly phenomenal series showcasing its female talent and characters throughout. I bow before its beauty and boldness. It will be fascinating to see where the world of “Shōgun” continues in Season 2.
“Pachinko” (Season 2, AppleTV+)
“Pachinko” Season 1 secured the #1 spot on my 2022 Top 10 list. Thus. I had heightened expectations for Season 2, and once again found myself impressed by the AppleTV+ series that dares to delve into the personal stories of a fragmented family across multiple generations. The audacity of “Pachinko” is it allows its characters to be deeply flawed and make terrible decisions that impact them and their family members through long-term ripple effects. Season 1 was about pure survival. Season 2 was about the devastating consequences of decisions make purely out of selfish survival. Yet, in spite of the tragic consequences of choosing to survive at any cost, “Pachinko” still found a way to embed its characters in our hearts. We still cheered for them for their small wins and victories and watched in horror as their lives struggled and fell apart again. Life is messy and hard and “Pachinko” is unflinching in exploring the reality of its character in time periods and geographic locations that were hostile to survival. Based on the book by Min Jin Lee, “Pachinko” is a faithful adaption brought to screen by executive producer Soo Hugh (known for her work on the AMC drama series “The Terror”).
What makes “Pachinko” standout as a series is its cast. Helmed by the ferocious quartet of Min-ha Kim, Lee Min-ho, Jin Ha, and Youn Yuh-jung, their intertwined family ties and relationships are the beating heart of the series. Min-ha Kim commands attention and Lee Min-ho meets her wholeheartedly in their scenes together and the undercurrent between their characters is so strong that even, without a word between them, one hears and feels every emotion binding them together. Jin Ha, portraying their characters’ grandson never shares screen time with Min-ha Kim or Lee Min-ho, but holds his own against the dynamic performance of Youn Yuh-jung, portraying his grandmother in the present time period.
In a year of double-duty performances in “Shōgun” and “Pachinko”, Anna Sawai shares screen time with Jin Ha and portrays his doomed business partner and love interest Naomi. “Pachinko” never takes the easy route with relationships. Love and relationships are continually sacrificed out of pride and, occasionally, pure survival. Real world events backdrop every scene, and the brutal and terrifying hostilities between the Koreans and Japanese that permeates all the character interactions. Survival comes at a devastating cost. Pride, even more so.
Season 1 invited the audience to root for Min-ha Kim and Youn Yuh-jung’s character Sunja, whose ill-fated love affair with Lee Min-ho’s character Hansu sets the stage for the later tale of Jin Ha’s Solomon as his fate intertwines with Sunja later in her life. Season 2 shared how tumultuous Sunja’s life journey continued to be as she made drastic choices to provide for herself and her children, Noa and Mozasu. Caught up in Sunja and Hansu’s stories are the brothers Isak (Steve Sang-Hyun Noh) and Yoseb (Han Jun-woo), Yoseb’s wife Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae), and Sunja’s mother Yangjin (Jeong In-ji). Throughout the series, the stellar performances of the female cast remains searing and powerfully portrayed.
Women having relationships with each other was another interesting layer. Women as friends. Women as relatives and family members. Women as allies in navigating worlds dominated by men for better or worse. Not all the interactions were successful or easy, but seeing women working with women or talking with other women separate from men added to the mirroring of the real world that made “Pachinko” feel more anchored and relatable.
What really gives “Pachinko” and its tragic characters wings is the clever dual portrayals by Min-ha Kim and Youn Yuh-jung bookending the story through the four generations of trials and tribulations. However, the conundrum of “Pachinko” is that it is both riveting and terrifying to watch. Its real world roots never allow the characters the luxury of easy lives. Their life-long struggle to survive is the core theme of the show. “Pachinko” Season 2 characters felt stripped to bone — each struggling to survive and justify their desires and greed — while trapped in never-ending cycle of loss, longing, and grief. Theme of “sins of the father” makes you wonder: “how do you heal that much pain?” Season 2 ended at such a painful and disillusioned story point. Season 1 allowed its characters to feel hopeful of better lives in its final scenes. Season 2 removed that illusion and revealed the painful truth that would fragment all the characters and send them spinning in various directions.
The series reflects eternal quest of self-acceptance and salvation with inner torment gnawing at their souls as final words of Coldplay’s song “Viva La Vida” hauntingly echo: “Just a puppet on a string — who would ever want to be king?” As seen, no one emerged unscathed — scorching lesson on the cost of pursuing what you want. Plus, ROSÉ’s rendition of “Viva La Vida” was exquisite. Her husky vocals were emotionally charged in such a way that it drew the listener/viewer deeper into the ending scene of “Pachinko” and felt more devastating and haunting.
AppleTV+ has yet to renew “Pachinko” for Seasons 3, so it is not yet known how Sunja and Hansu’s lives bridged the timeline to Solomon’s conflicted and chaotic future. With more awards and acclaim sure to follow, it would seem advantageous and prudent for AppleTV+ to pick up “Pachinko” for another season to conclude its characters’ journey.
“The Atypical Family” (Netflix)
I was vastly surprised and impressed by “The Atypical Family”. It is an extremely well-written time-travel story of a close-knit family with supernatural abilities living frozen in fear, and a con-woman who spurs them to conquer their fears and reclaim their lost abilities. My compliments to Jo Hyun Tak (who also directed the Disney+ series “Snowdrop”) for the show’s unique visual styling and precision editing, and to Joo Hwa-mi, who wrote such an amazing story with such rich and multi-dimensional characters. (Joo Hwa-mi won the Asia Contents Awards & Global OTT Awards for her writing on “The Atypical Family”.)
Adding to the stellar series was the superb casting of the core supernatural family: Jang Ki-yong, Park So-yi, Ku Du-Shim, Claudia Kim, Oh Man-seok, and the counterpart con-artist family of Chun Woo-hee‘s character: Choi Gwang-rok, Ryu Abel, and Kim Geum-sun. “The Atypical Family” keeps the story fresh and engaging with a fast-pace and abundance of twists and turns. It keeps you guessing until the last second with all its revelations and surprises. Yet for all the fun it has setting up a “con within a con”, what really keeps the audience tuned in are the compelling and heartfelt characters: a con artist tasked with infiltrating and fleecing a wealthy, socially-adverse family of seeming misfits consisting of a matriarch whose abilities vanished and tenuous hold over her crumbing familial empire, a widowed father tormented by a past he cannot change, an insecure business woman desperate to lockdown a weak-willed fiancé, a teen seeking to hide away from a scary world, an uncertain husband trying to find his place in an extraordinary family, and a “found-family” of con artists pursuing the weaknesses of the rich.
“Found-family” virus “supernatural family” sets up a unique and thrilling story where each character may be the savior of the other. It offers a fun twist on the usual story and character tropes. Chun Woo-hee captivated in her lead role as she deftly navigates a complex portrayal of a ruthless con artist who finds herself intrigued by the supernaturally gifted family. The entire series hinges on the relatability and believability that her character is not just a ruthless opportunist. Instead we watch with delight as she charms the entire family and then finds herself falling in love in return. The theme of “desperate to love and be loved” is achingly portrayed and yet in the most heart-warming way.
Similarly, the females characters portrayed by Park So-yi, Go Doo-shim, Claudia Kim, Ryu Abel, and Kim Geum-sun are infused with such care and loving portrayals that warmth of each infuses their scenes. “The Atypical Family” works better because it relies on its female characters to carry the weight of love, understanding and healing.
Park So-yi, portraying the quiet daughter simultaneously seeking to be invisible and seen at the same time, she did not want to cause problems or friction with her friends or her family, yet craved to be acknowledged and appreciated too. (Park So-yi’s performance was so heartfelt and moving that she earned an APAN Star Award for her performance.)
Similarly, Claudia Kim as her character wished to be invisible due to her perceived undesirable physical size, but also wished to be seen and appreciated for who she was no matter her physical attributes. Doo-shim portraying the mother/grandmother who selfishly could only consider her own supernatural loss and rail against those who interfered with her plans to regain her lost power and keep her family financially secure. Ryu Abel’s character, like that of Chun Woo-hee’s, was recruited to aid their found-family’s criminal endeavors, yet her instincts kept guiding her to be a better person in spite of her upbringing and expected role in the illegal ventures. Kim Geum-sun’s character then had the tricky part of being a villainess with a surprising heart-of-gold. These roles that demanded levels of performance that each delivered upon superbly.
Like a beautiful prism as seen through the eyes of each character, “The Atypical Family” reflected each’s darkest inner fears and then allowed each to confront their fears and discover that they could emerge as a radiant phoenix rising from the ashes of their dark pasts. Their show was less about the characters needing to be rescued and more about each finding their own inner power to achieve peace, joy and happiness themselves. It also allowed its women characters to make unexpected choices. Claudia Kim’s character rejected pursuing a love interest in favor of loving herself and exploring and emphasizing the value of female friendships/relationships. Love in all its forms was examined and displayed: familial love, romantic love, platonic love, friendship love, toxic love, pure love, altruistic love, and self-love. The disease that the supernatural family suffers from could only be cured by love: self-love comes first, familial love comes second, and then supplemented as the other forms of love surround them and ease their inner pain and grief.
“The Atypical Family” is one of those rare gem of a series where you wonder where it came from and if you will ever discover another that can replicate that kind of special story plus character magic. It might just be irreplaceable and that is okay, since it is such a joy to watch this series and its amazing characters shine with joy and love, and will be a series that will linger long afterwards in your heart.
“A Shop For Killers” (Season 1, Disney+)
A cool surprise, “A Shop for Killers” introduced its male hero, then quickly disposed of that hero, which left the series focused on a young woman to carry the story through a non-stop hail of bullets and mayhem. Thanks to the brilliant direction of co-directors Lee Kwon and No Kyu-yeob, and relying on a strong script provided Ji Ho-jin (“Newtopia”), “A Shop For Killers” is a fast-paced, non-stop adrenaline-fest. Helmed by Lee Dong-wook and Kim Hye-jun as an uncle-niece duo proves to be a stroke of genius. Lee Dong-wook comes from a lengthy career of memorable and beloved roles, including his performance as a love-lorn grim reaper in “Goblin” aka “Guardian: the Great and Lonely God”, and Kim Hye-jun is fresh off her award-winning breakout role as a female serial killer in “Inspector Koo”. Watching them immerse themselves into their roles in “A Shop For Killers” feels surreal as they appear natural and confident throughout each blood-soaked scene.
Kim Hye-jun is astounding to watch. Her transition and her character Ji-An’s transition into the role of action star is jaw-dropping and impressive. Unlike her character’s uncle who had been trained in the art of weaponry and warfare, Ji-An had to adapt or die. From a very young age, it was Ji-An’s own instincts and wits that kept her alive and those traits were again necessary as she became a target at the center of her uncle’s clandestine business venture. The idea that the average young woman could rise to the occasion with whatever tools and weapons were at her fingertips provided an entertaining and intriguing story.
Geum Hannah as So Min-hye is a marvel as well as a trained assassin who comes to Ji-An’s rescue and aids in holding off the massive attack on the home fortress and shop, as well as dealing with the troubles within once those locations are breached.
“A Shop For Killers” relies on the strength of its two female characters to carry the series and provide its beating heart — because if you do not care about them, it is difficult to root for them to survive and succeed. Because the show smartly anchors its story and our hearts with Ji-An and Min-hye, every second feels suspended in half-agony and half-hope. Will they survive? And is it even possible? With a non-stop deluge of armed men ready to descend to claim ownership of the armory and its treasure trove of weaponry, Ji-An and Min-hye must not only survive, but they must hold out against trained killers determined to take it by any means necessary. The artistry of Jin-man’s house design and his throughly thought-out defense of the armory makes it possible, but ultimately, it is Ji-An and Min-hye’s tenacity and wits that make it possible. Jin-man’s precautions and preparations would have failed and been futile in less capable hands. It relied upon the willingness of Ji-An and Min-hye to get the job done to succeed.
The audacity of “A Shop For Killers” was creating a story populated with characters that would defer to, defend, and support women. The critical decisions were made by women and men honored those decisions. “A Shop For Killers” revealed itself to be a hell of a strong story about feminism cloaked in chauvinist clothing. Take away all the bullets and explosions and in the middle of it all is a strong message in support of treating women as equals and doing everything humanly possible to support them in defending themselves, their homes and their business. All in all, a fun and ferociously feminist series— a crowning achievement of female empowerment.
“Queen of Tears” (Netflix)
(NOTE: After Kim Sae Ron’s death and the subsequent information about her involvement with and treatment by Kim Soo-hyun and his management company, I am no longer a fan of him and it leaves me disgusted and conflicted about recommending his work.)
“Queen of Tears” was destined to be a break-out success by pedigree alone, helmed by: directors Jang Young-woo (“Bulgasal: Immortal Souls”) and Kim Hee-won (“Little Women”/“Vincenzo”), written by Park Ji-eun (“Crash Landing On You”/“Legend of the Blue Sea”/“My Love From the Star”), and starring Kim Soo-hyun (“It’s Okay To Not Be Okay”/“My Love From The Star”) and Kim Ji-won (“My Liberation Notes”/“Descendants of the Sun”) — and as expected, it delivered. “Queen of Tears” was firing on all cylinders and delivered one of the highest rated and acclaimed series of 2024. It was expertly crafted to ensure every single episode left viewers clamoring for more. In fact, during its airing, it was all the zeitgeist could talk about.
With such master craftsmanship behind the camera and on-camera, the series commanded attention — and best of all, it was fun throughout. It kept its fast pace and yet made viewers feel connected to each small moment of every character. That kind of emotional tethering is remarkable. Lots of credit goes to the reunion of writer Park Ji-eun and star Kim Soo-hyun, who had previously worked on “My Love From the Star” and “The Producers” together. The role was intended of Kim Soo-hyun and written to highlight his talent.
Even more delightful was how well the role for co-star Kim Ji-won seemed crafted to showcase her on-screen charm and talents as well. The combination of the lead actors and their characters met very much like a “match made in heaven” as a result. It also helped that the actors were comfortable and confident enough to bring a bit of fan-service to their interviews and off-screen dynamic as well. It gave “Queen of Tears” a bit more push to the top of the zeitgeist and kept viewers fully engaged while watching episodes and while waiting the 6 days in between for the next airing.
What seemed to add fuel to the fire of the seemingly magical combination of leads was how well each mirrored each other and how their characters mirrored each other as well. “Mirroring” characters and “mirroring” in the real world provided a lovely rose-colored illusion blurring fiction and reality. It was a clever and well-timed parasocially-engaging performance and provided momentum to keep it rapidly rising in ratings and earning a stronghold of affection in fans’ hearts. Credit is equally due to its leads: Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won. Their dual strengths and desire to make their show so beloved created a tethering bond.
What was absolutely delightful was seeing how effortlessly Kim Ji-won managed to captivate through her role and complement her co-star in the process. “Mirroring” is not just acting, it is an art form. It makes a performance transcend beyond the screen and builds emotional bonding and tethers with characters and shows. When someone uses the phrases “they look good together” or “they look like they belong together”, it is how viewers externally project their desires onto people in close proximity that the viewers see a similarity of visual cues, as well as preferential treatment and appreciation. Casting directors, producers, writers, directors, wardrobe costumers and hair/makeup stylists all work hard to pair or match actors in romantic roles that look similar or who can work together to create a “mirroring” effect.
“Queen of Tears” offered master class example of “mirroring”. The wave of sudden popularity and excited discussion online about how good the leads looked together was evident of a perfectly executed “mirroring” campaign. However, “mirroring” only works as well as the talent who brings the heart and essence of their characters to their roles and strength of the script providing characters for the viewing audience to fall in love with. All of these things are essential to creating a “love potion” of excitement about a show.
Another key element was supporting characters imbued by equally talented actors to help bolster the reality of the fictional world of “Queen of Tears”. They provide the internal “mirrors” reflecting the fictional characters, their relationships, and dire predicaments through the series. “Queen of Tears” was populated with cleverly cast characters. It had multiple levels of villainy and subplots to keep its leads jumping from conflict to conflict and forcing them to keep moving at a pace that made it all feel simultaneously breath-taking and exhilarating.
Kim Ji-won brought a fascinating aspect to her performance: fragility and tragedy. Every scene had to feel like she was about to fall apart.Whether it was from the pressures of her high-powered, high-profile world or from the grief of loss of a child or the horror and not understanding what is happening to your own mind and body as her health continued to erode and decline. Even more so, her emotional journey had to still complement and pair on-screen with Kim Soo-hyun’s character’s frame-of-mind and parallel journey. The weight of this precarious and precious balance fell on Kim Ji-Won and yet she handled with with aplomb and grace. She made it feel effortless, when in fact, it was probably a tricky performance to pull off over the course of an entire series. She also had to be the “straight-man” to Kim Soo-hyun’s “funny man” performance and to make their overall story feel charming and rewarding.
Providing supporting character dilemmas were the superbly cast: Lee Joo-Bin, Lee Mi-Sook, Na Young-Hee, Kim Jung-Nan, Hwang Young-Hee, Jang Yoon-Ju, Kim Shin-Rok, as well as their male counterparts and costars Park Sung-Hoon. Kwak Dong-Yeon, Kim Kap-Soo, Jung Jin-Young, Koo See-Woo, Park Yoon-Hee, Jeon Bae-Su, Kim Do-Hyun, Kim Dong-Ha.
One standout aspect of “Queen of Tears” was allowing women to be villains. Not all women, but by allowing women to be as greedy, desperate, scheming and craven as men, it created a well-balanced thriller mystery. “Queen of Tears” dared to be more than just a romantic-comedy series, it aimed to be a mystery thriller with a heightened medical condition that kept the hands of the clock firmly in countdown mode to the next crisis. By setting its pacing at maximum throttle, the series never dwelled on its character’s follies, it just brought them to the forefront and raced ahead. It made the series feel more like a thriller, treasure hunt all the way through its final episode. Overall, just a magnificent series from start to finish. It earned its rave reviews and applause for its characters and cast. It was fun, thrilling, exciting and designed to be talked about and to keep its audience guessing. It worked. It was all of that and more.
“Lovely Runner”
“Lovely Runner” (Viki)
Expertly and evocatively crafted, “Lovely Runner” is a twisty time-travel story of a young woman determined to save her idol from a tragic fate; however, unbeknownst to her, he had the same goal. The surprises and fun twists just kept coming in “Lovely Runner” and the show delivered a more complicated and rewarding story of love than ever imagined. Compliments to directors Kim Tae-yeob and Yoon Jong-ho, whose precision in bringing the script provided by Lee Si-eun (“True Beauty”) to life made it feel so much more heart-warming and charming than expected. The show also felt elevated by its magical casting of leads, Kim Hye-Yoon and Byeon Woo-Seok, who were luminous and transcendent throughout. They did actually seem to glow and radiate love and joy in the scenes.
It takes master craft performances to deliver that kind of consistent character representation over the course of an entire season. Kim Hye-yoon has a long history of expert performances in Kdrama series. Byeon Woo-seok was a massive and delightful surprise with his pitch perfect and endearing role that paired expertly with Kim Hye-yoon. Their roles complemented and brought the best out in each other, so much so, that their fan-service and parasocially-engaging chemistry made commenters, fans and interviewers all wonder if they could be dating off-screen.
The rise of seamless fan-service and the deft use of parasocial (artist-fan) relationships made 2024 feel electric. Actors and idols have perfected their craft to such a level that their on-screen or on-stage personas have blurred the lines between what is fiction and what is reality. One of the most enticing and addictive aspects of Korean dramas and the world of idols are the parasocial personas. Every actor or singer has been trained to create and foster a persona that makes them desirable. The “romance of the eyes and ears” has never felt more alluring than what was seen in 2024 throughout the Kdrama and Kpop industries.
Byeon Woo-seok is an expert at it. His character in “Lovely Runner” was a Kpop idol and watching him sing and perform as his character felt so real that the fictional song that his character sang on the show became a number one hit in the actual music charts in South Korea and he became in high demand to perform at concerts and award events for the remainder of the year. He was also a persona/parasocial expert in bringing his character Sun-jae to life in interviews with his co-star Kim Hye-yoon, so that even she looked a little confused at times as to whether it was her co-star Byeon Woo-seok or the character of Sun-jae sitting next to her. If fans are overwhelmed and buy into the blurred fiction-reality lines when performers carry their on-screen persona into the real world, imagine how surreal it must feel to a fellow performer who must then choose to meet that persona with their own persona or to try to keep everything “real”. Kim Hye-yoon seemed to take it all in stride with amusement and let her devious castmate have fun with his dazzling persona during interviews. Byeon Woo-seok was clearly having the time of his life throughout the filming of “Lovely Runner” and during the show’s promotions. Kim Hye-yoon also seemed to be thrilled with the sudden popularity of her latest series and was a bit surprised that it became as popular so quickly.
“Lovely Runner” is one of those rare gem of a series that seems to sneak up on everyone. No one expected it to become the biggest sensation in the zeitgeist for 2024. But “Lovely Runner” became a runaway sensation very quickly. The music, the performances, the chemistry, the story’s twists — it all was ripe for memes, GIFs and TikTok’s and suddenly felt like it was everywhere.
Co-star Song Geon-Hee was also taken by surprise as he and his character Tae-Sung also seemed to gain traction and popularity. He even admitted that he was on the verge of stepping away from being an actor when “Lovely Runner” took off. Being embraced and appreciated for his role in “Lovely Runner” was just the encouragement that he needed to keep pursuing his acting career.
Helping to keep “Lovely Runner” grounded were its array of women — on screen and off. Kim Hye-yoon became the anchor in the story and the anchor outside of the show as the publicity and popularity of the series hit like a massive wave. The show was marketed on the visual height differences of its leads, yet Kim Hye-yoon’s height was not the truly defining aspect, it was her powerful presence that sold the characters’ story through their multiple timelines and time periods. Her character Sol was a hurricane of energy and enthusiasm no matter what horror or tragedy she endured and confronted. Similarly, Kim Hye-yoon also carried the wave of publicity and public attention with seeming ease and grace. When one is pushed and pulled and demanded to be present and perform for fans everywhere and anywhere, it can be overwhelming and daunting. Yet Hye-yoon handled it was easy and assurance. Similarly, her co-stars Jung Young-Joo, Seo Hye-Won and Shin Su-A carried their scenes as expertly and effortlessly. None seemed prepared for the zeitgeist rush of popularity, but adapted and embraced it as the wave of attention hit.
“Lovely Runner” remains one of the biggest surprise hits of the year. It was a series aiming for a target audience on the Kdrama platform Viki, that broke out so effectively that Netflix quickly snatched up the streaming rights after it concluded its exclusive streaming on Viki. That momentum continued so strongly that both Kim Hye-yoon and Byeon Woo-seok became the some of the most sought after talent for commercial endorsements and fan meets throughout Southeast Asia. The “Lovely Runner” K-wave just kept rolling throughout the year and has not stopped.
“High Potential” (Season 1, ABC)
“High Potential” is a remake of the French-Belgian series “HPI (Haut Potentiel Intellectuel)” developed by showrunner Drew Goddard along with co-executive producers/writers Rob Thomas and Diane Ruggiero-Wright (“Cupid” “iZombie” “Veronica Mars”). It has been 8 years since a U.S. broadcast series managed to secure a spot on my annual Top 10 show list. Given the repetitive nature of U.S. episodic television, it makes it extremely difficult for one to offer all the elements that I use for my annual Top 10 criteria. The last show to succeed was “The Good Wife” — the spinoff series “The Good Fight” remained a CBS/Paramount streaming series. Thus, it is remarkable that I found one that finally met my stringent requirements: fearless storytelling, highly entertaining, consistency, water-cooler factor, clearly ascertainable “hero” and “heart”, strong/complex/well-developed female characters, empowered female characters.
In “High Potential”, the lead character of Morgan is expertly portrayed by Kaitlin Olson. Morgan is messy, hasty, fearless and tenacious. Her life, even with gifted abilities and higher than average intelligence, has been difficult. She has struggled to survive and thrive and yet never shied away from her responsibilities or from pursuing what she truly wanted. Fate may have delivered her a prime opportunity to work as a consultant with the local police department, but it has not been a seamless or easy experience for her. She was not even given a desk initially and once she did get a desk, it was more of an after-through and a throw-away desk. The entire world of “High Potential” feels more earned. There is good mix of gender and racial diversity, as well as educational backgrounds and life-experiences amongst its characters and its actors portraying those characters. Thus, “High Potential” feels layered in its universe building and like each achievement for its characters must be earned.
Similarly, the actors in their roles feels earned as well. The series is fully fleshed out with standout performances by Kaitlin Olson, Judy Reyes, Javicia Leslie, Amirah J, Daniel Sunjata, Deniz Akdeniz, Matthew Lamb, Garret Dillahunt, and J.D. Pardo. One of the subtle but essential aspects of “High Potential” is how natural the relationships feel among all those in the police department. Each feels like they fit the role they were cast in and inhabits their character so fully, that each feels real. This is a hard bar to achieve with so many recognizable face and actors, but the show allows each to simply exist and be without having to be introduced or worked into the story. Naturally inhabiting their space and relationships creates a uniquely “real” feeling to their world, their interpersonal relationships and how they go about their work. There is also the right about of “friction” created by the assimilation of Morgan into their protective “blue line” world where cops are welcomed, but outsiders are not. It takes carefully constructed writing of characters and stories to keep that balance of realism with an undercurrent of friction and not make it feel jarring or unpleasant.
Perhaps one of the best aspects of “High Potential” is how inviting it feels. It offers a harsh world of single-motherhood struggling to survive and fit in as she tries to work with cops who do not always want to listen to or work with someone not trained as an officer or detective. To create a harsh world that also feels warm and inviting is not easy. Yet “High Potential” remembers to add a layer of charm and appreciation to its characters and story. Credit should also be given to the cast as each seems to innately understand how to best work as an ensemble. Blending and balancing becomes essential in a procedural, episodic series as each character may be called upon to carry an episode or two when the need arises.
Judy Reyes deserves compliments for her outstanding performance. She delivers a layered performance with more nuance than necessary, but which makes her screen time more anticipated and investing. She also makes you want to see her more on screen. With a full cast of interesting characters, each with a distinct niche of interpersonal dynamics, Judy’s character as head of the Major Crimes Division could be more of a sympathetic figurehead. Instead, she feels more like an invested peer who does more than cheer for and mentor Morgan. There is a mutually beneficial learning from each other and quiet steadfast support that gives each a bit more of an energy boost and sense of camaraderie. These levels of subtext and layer makes for fascinating character interaction. Both Judy and Kaitlin have strong backgrounds in long-running comedy series (“Scrubs” and “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia”) and that career experience gives them an edge in a police procedural drama as it allows them to tap into a bit of pathos embedded with sharp humor to give their characters an extra layer to their characters and interactions and thus even more rewarding to watch when they are in scenes together.
Javicia Leslie similarly comes from an array of key roles from “God Friended Me” to the CW’s “Batwoman” that gives her performance a feeling of extra layers and knowledge to draw from. Women interacting with women in professional roles seamlessly and without friction as women is a welcome change.
“High Potential” remembers that its core strength comes from the women it showcases as effortlessly competent. Morgan may be able to recognize clues and put pieces of the puzzles together faster than the average person, but career professionals are also good at their jobs. Allowing women to be seen at ease and working well alongside men and each other really is a better representation of the world we either do or should live in. It also raises the storylines to a more interesting level, keeping the audience more engaged and tethered with all the characters. It provides an easy, unconscious fun level to the show. Police procedurals are rarely thought of as fun or engaging, so this is an achievement — keeping the women roles fun, competent, appreciative, at ease and engaging.
(Note: “High Potential” beat out the new series “Matlock” starring Kathy Bates on this list simply because “Matlock” felt more brazen than fearless. Kathy Bates’ character Madeline Matlock is supported by her husband and wiz-kid grandson and a seemingly abundance of money in order to facilitate her long-con working at the unsuspecting law firm that she takes a job at to take down the attorney who enabled the oxycontin industry to get off scot-free. “High Potential” is about a single-mom with three children juggling a devoted but hapless ex-husband. It gives it a bit more of a “fearlessness” factor in its storytelling as the lead character has a higher burden to carry and trickier life situation to navigate with extremely limited resources and support. It also feels a bit more genuine in that her co-workers are fully aware of her life circumstances and her abilities, whereas in “Matlock”, Madeline’s co-workers are completely in the dark about her actual identity and her incredible legal background. That said, “Matlock” is a great series and was a worthy contender for this list. Kathy Bates is magnificent as Madeline Matlock.)
“Marry My Husband” (Amazon Prime)
In yet another time-travel tale, “Marry My Husband” had a lot of fun showing how a women dying of terminal cancer gets a second chance to make better choices in her life in an attempt to outwit fate and pursue a more promising destiny. Just like how “The Atypical Family” and “Lovely Runner” had specific rules to their time-travel stories, “Marry My Husband” had a unique rule as well: everything that happened before would happen again, and Park Min-young’s character just had to find a way to side-step those events so that it happened to someone else. The boomerang aspect of fate was a challenge and kept the storyline from being complete wish fulfillment. Park Min-young delivered a wickedly good performance of a woman traumatized by those closest to her and determined to outwit the nefarious net that those who claimed to love her seemed determined to trap her in. It was a performance that earned her Actor of the Year (Daesang) from the Asia Artist Awards as well. Her delicately ferocious spirit behind that benign mask of goodness made the story addictive and cheer worthy. Her character could not completely shake her inclination to want to trust people, so watching her learn from her mistakes and course-correct was like watching a chess master in the making — it was fun and Machiavellian at the same time.
Compliments to director Park Won-gook and writer Shin Yoo-dam (“Gogh, the Starry Night”) whose deft direction and sharp script gave Park Min-young the tools and breathing room she needed to dance and weave together her multiple and shifting personas on screen. Park Min-young is remarkable at finding ways to show subtle character changes in her performances. That kaleidoscope of shifts is what makes her character in “Marry My Husband” so riveting. You want to see how a mousy, trapped woman changes her fate without giving away to everyone around her that she is carefully shifting her fate onto others and reclaiming her health, her career and her future.
Just as vital in this chess game of fate was the performance of Song Ha-yoon. Her character Su-min was both a foil and catalyst for Park Min-young’s character Ji-won. Every hero needs a villain and in “Marry My Husband”, there were two: the nefarious husband and scheming best-friend who instinctively moved to box in Ji-won into her tragic fate. Song Ha-yoon was chilling as her character Su-min, whose cloying and controlling nature was akin to a leaching barnacle that once attached become impossible to dislodge. Behind a mask of sweetness, Song Ha-yoon was pervasively evil. It made it more fun to watch as Su-min was thwarted and ultimately ensnared in the trap of her own making. Perhaps due to the underlying real-world friendship of Park Min-young and Song Ha-yoon, their scenes contained an undercurrent of emotion. Their genuine affection added a layer to their characters and made the Su-min and Ji-won relationship feel more natural and long-lasting, and thus betrayal more painful and revenge more satisfying.
Adding to the interplay of female characters that rose up out of this deadly dance of fate, were Ji-won and Su-min’s coworkers, portrayed by Gong Min-jeung and Choi Gyu-ri. Caught up in the crosshairs of Ji-won’s fate, their characters also brought in a delightful level of humor and heart to Ji-won’s conflicted journey to outwit the two villains and deadly destiny. “Marry My Husband” used its female characters well to create a time-shift chessboard in the game to checkmate fate. It allowed the women to work together and use their skills to each other’s benefit. Women helping women and forging friendships gave “Marry My Husband” a reservoir of emotions to play with and it felt richer and more rewarding for it. It allowed each to earn their own destiny and make choices that benefited themselves and other women in the process — except for Su-min, who earned her own dark destiny thanks to her terrible choices. Allowing each to pursue their lives tenaciously and together was wonderful and heartwarming. After all, life should not be a solitary journey or game. It can be pursued with allies and friends.
Fortunately, “Marry My Husband” also populated its story and chessboard against fate with interesting male characters too, as women should have the benefit of love, companionship and friendship with men in their lives as well. As co-lead Na In-woo was unexpected casting choice, but also the perfect compliment for Park Min-young’s Ji-won. His portrayal imbued with a soft soul was soothing and stable, which helped Ji-won feel confident in setting her chessboard in her game against fate.
Just as vital was Lee Yi-kyung as Park Min-hwan, a dastardly villain whose downfall was satisfying to watch throughout the series. Both he and Song Ha-yoon gave Park Min-young a lot to emotional angst to mine in their scenes together. The compounding layers of characters and emotions along with the shifting alliances added to the complex relationships on screen. Plus, as a viewer it helps to feel a little conflicted about who you are rooting for at any given moment. Emotional investment keeps the audience tethered to the characters and their stories. “Marry My Husband” was perfectly blended to make each emotional moment count. It made it exhilarating and satisfying to watch all the way through.
“The Judge From Hell” (Season 1, Disney+)
Under the precise direction of Park Jin-pyo and the joyful and clever writing of Jo Yi-soo, “The Judge From Hell” was the perfect on-screen vehicle to showcase Park Shin-hye’s myriad of talents. Park Shin-hye — famously known for her roles in “The Heirs”, “Pinnochio”, “Memories of The Alhambra”, and “Doctor Slump” — is a powerhouse marvel in “The Judge From Hell” where she clearly relished unleashing an inner demon as the character King Bit-na aka Justitia.
Equal parts police procedural and religious fairytale, “The Judge From Hell” acted as a communal catalyst and catharsis. It justified feeling exuberant watching evil people get exactly what they deserved as punishment. The series was a thought-provoking analysis on: what is justice? Is justice capturing, trying in court and sentencing evil-doers convicted of a crime to doing time in a cell? In “The Judge From Hell”, it offered another viewpoint on the idea that perhaps true justice is inflicting the same kind of pain on those found guilty so they can experience it firsthand the pain they have inflicted on others. In the real world, such conduct cannot be condoned, but in a fictional show, it allows the viewer to appreciate if such a possibility could exist without feeling like you are committing a crime.
“The Judge From Hell” is a giddy revenge-fantasy cloaking an existential examination of crime, criminals, the justice system, and who is permitted to punish those found guilty. Fortunately, the series only offers up this moral quandary without getting too mired in whether there are actual answers to the questions posed. It is enough to appreciate how zealously Park Shin-hye’s character Bit-na delivers punishment. Plus, it is glorious watching Park Shin-hye having so much fun in her character. The dual levels of enjoyment of the character and the actor portraying the character made the portrayal feel layered and inviting. This is a story and character that the audience was invited to examine and walk in their shoes for a time — to join in the fun.
Complementing Park Shin-hye on-screen was her co-lead Kim Jae-young, who also seemed to be having the time of his life portraying his character Han Da-on. Perhaps it was because Park Shin-hey and Kim Jae-young were clearly having fun in their roles that the entire series felt a bit more wickedly fun to watch. Their joy and happiness to stretch in their roles carried through and caught up in their revelry were their co-stars Kim In-kwon, Kim Ah-young, Ha Kyung-min, Lee Joong-ok,Kim Jae-hwa, Park Ji-yeon, Kim Young-ok, Oh Na-ra and Shin Sung-rok. “The Judge From Hell” seemed imbued with a light and levity that created an undercurrent of electricity in each scene. The show’s serious themes counterbalanced by that energy made it more addictive and compelling to watch. While a second season has been tease, it may be hard to capture that feeling of the lightning in a bottle again. The wrath of Justitia and the giddiness of the cast in their roles made a perfect cocktail blend of characters and storylines — either way, bring on the holy water and vengeance for Season 2!
“The Diplomat” (Season 2, Netflix)
It is hard to imagine topping Season 1 of “The Diplomat”, which was a clever mix of absurdity masking terrifying reality. Perhaps because the series is just a few shades of gray away from the world we actually live in, its heightened stakes and outrageous characters feel a bit close to home these days. It was never intended to be, but given the real world events like the sudden declaration of martial law in South Korea or the unexpected toppling of a 50-year dictatorship in Syria, the events in “The Diplomat” seem parallel or echo unimaginable real world events.
“The Diplomat” is still not what you expect it to be, where a career intelligence analyst finds herself thrust onto a political stage vying for the U.S. vice presidency by the extreme mechanisms of everyone around her, struggles to retain her own identity and integrity as political events erupt around her.
Creator/writer Debra Cahn ( “Homeland”, “The West Wing”, “Grey’s Anatomy”) paired with stars Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Ato Essandoh, Rory Kinnear, and newly cast Allison Janney have wove together a tense political drama series that makes viewers invested in their personal and professional lives as they are all swept up in massive events beyond their control.
Fresh off her starring role in the FX series “The Americans”, where she played a ruthless Russian spy, Keri Russell is exceptional as the lead of “The Diplomat”. Keri’s ability to convey the absurd and comical moments in the midst of political chaos has been finely honed over the years. In addition, her aura lends itself well to these stories, characters and events as Keri looks helpless and fragile, but that is just the facade that she wears as underneath, she is a raptor ready to strike.
Co-starring Rufus Sewell and David Gyasi, “The Diplomat” cleverly maximizes the mysterious personas of its three stars to keep the audience guessing as to who can be trusted and who is playing who. Much of the series feels like a “shell game” and you are never sure that watch you are watching is really what is going on.
Allison Janney is superb as the US. Vice President straddling the thin line between personal survival versus political survival, and a tenacious spirit that will destroy anyone and anything between her and her goal.
That kind of tight, twisty and fast-moving story telling is an adrenaline rush and highly addictive. It is also fun that the female characters seem to be in the thick of it and manipulating people and events with just as much ease. Adding their intriguing performances to the show are co-stars: Ali Ahn, Jess Chanliau, Celia Imrie, Clare Burt, Nancy Carroll, Nana Mensah, T’Nia Miller.
Women at the heart of world events feels natural and necessary. It also adds a layer of unexpectedness and that makes for stronger world-building and character interactions. Cannot wait to see what further craziness erupts in Season 3 of “The Diplomat”.
As I reflect back on 2024, it occurred to me that not only were three of the series about time-travel (“The Atypical Family”, “Lovely Runner” and “Marry My Husband”), but that all ten of the series embodied a theme and message about time:
“Shōgun” – race against time to survive
“Pachinko” – you cannot out-run time
“The Atypical Family” – learn how to thread the needle of time
“A Shop For Killers” – buy time until help arrives
“Queen of Tears” – appreciate the precious time that you have left
“Lovely Runner” – time can be undone if you try again
“High Potential” – time slips away unless you grab onto it
“Marry My Husband” – find a way to outsmart time
“The Judge From Hell” – if you do the crime, you have to pay the time
“The Diplomat” – time waits for no man or woman
A curious and confounding theme. I have to wonder if it will continue to be as relevant and critical in 2025.
In the interest of transparency, I have provided a short explanation of how this Top 10 list was curated. I watched approximately 120 shows in 2024, of which nearly 60 were Kdrama series released in 2024. I made a diligent effort to watch new shows to keep up with current watching trends and to see what captured zeitgeist interest and to get to know the spectrum of talent being brought to life on screen (streaming, cable and broadcast).
As discovered since 2020, the online streaming platforms (Netflix, AppleTV+, Amazon Prime, Hulu/Disney+, Paramount+, Viki.com) continued to dominate, and provided some of the best serialized shows as each expanded their current content to include international series. Accordingly, this is my fifth year including South Korean international shows (aka K-dramas), though it should be noted that I have included international shows in my annual Top 10 of shows since 2010 from other countries, such as: United Kingdom (“Doctor Who”, “Downton Abbey”, “Sherlock”, “Luther”, “The Hour”, “Broadchurch”, “Killing Eve”), Canada (“Orphan Black”, “Mary Kills People”) and Spain (“Money Heist”). It is challenging, yet exciting, to explore the world of international series as streaming platforms continue to add these series to their curated libraries for U.S. viewers to explore and enjoy.
Culture critics (aka “entertainment critics” formerly known as “television critics”) continue to be challenged to watch and assess a large volume of U.S. shows as well as international shows to come up with a “Top 10” list. Thus, to be a bit more transparent, when assessing shows that I watch, I tried to be fair about which shows I enjoyed watching and the reasons why I spent my time with these shows. Thus, I have done my best to weigh each on a fair scale to select series that earned a spot in my “Top 10” list, based on the following criteria:
• fearless storytelling
• highly entertaining
• consistency
• water-cooler factor
• clearly ascertainable “hero” and “heart”
• strong, complex, well-developed female characters
• empowered female characters
To briefly explain:
“Fearlessness” in storytelling means a willingness to tackle the topic or subject of its story head-on with no regrets.
“Highly entertaining” is pretty self-explanatory — the viewing audience must enjoy watching the show and not just endure it.
“Consistency” means that each episode must stand on its own. Lots of serialized shows have one or two great episodes and then fall-off the creative-cliff for the rest of the season. So maintaining the momentum of a strong, well-written season is crucial as well.
The “water-cooler” factor is also essential. People must be talking about the show. It must be part of the zeitgeist and inspiring passion in those who watch it.
There had to be a clear “hero” and a reason to care about the characters — the “heart”. There are simply too many shows that forget we want to root for someone and we want to care about the characters.
Finally, the show had to not only have strong, well-developed female roles, it had to empower those female characters. This should be a given in any show, but now more than ever, this criteria needs to be recognized as crucial to any top show.
This criteria actually sets a high bar and it made it a bit easier to see which shows truly earned a spot on my “Top 10” list for 2024.
Here is to looking forward to all the exciting new and returning U.S. and international shows in 2025.
Runner’s up for Top 10 Shows of 2024 included: “The Trunk” (Netflix), “The Frog” (Netflix), “When The Phone Rings” (Netflix), “Doctor Slump” (Netflix), “Love Next Door” (Netflix)
Under the radar, but a personal favorite series from 2024: “No Gain No Love” (Amazon Prime)